Saturday, May 8, 2010

All Aboard!

An old time digging buddy (we’ll call him Joe) called me yesterday afternoon to touch base and fill me in on recent happening’s with his life. In the course of our conversation he casually asked “Are you digging with us tomorrow” I don’t think so, I replied, I wasn’t invited. “Well I’m inviting you now” he muttered in a kind of offhand matter.

Truth is, I didn’t know anything about the proposed dig that Joe was talking about and was interested in the what, where, who and why of the permission he had obtained. Earlier this year I had written a permission letter for Joe to send off to the owner of a prospective digging site and was wondering if Joe’s “proposed dig” was the fruit of the permission letter that I composed.

No such luck, come to find out another friend of mine (we’ll call him Evan) had obtained the permission that Joe was inviting me too. The permission was in a gold rush town down the road a piece from where I live. I asked Joe if it would be Evan, Joe and I digging the site. In my book, two’s company, three’s a crowd and a having a third digger is a pain in the butt for splitting the goodies. “Well, no, I invited Dick and he invited the detector dude and Mr. Detector dude invited a couple of kids from the bay to help us if we get into anything good”.

Wow what a dilemma! I really had to think pretty hard about whether or not I wanted to spend my Saturday on a postage stamp size lot (I spent a year digging in the town of the proposed dig site back in the 1990’s) that had probably already been dug, with 6 other diggers, 2 of whom I had never dug with before.

Now if the homeowner didn’t flat ass freak out and give us all the boot, (7 guys with probes, shovel’s, tarps and more than likely a cooler full of beer) and we did manage to find a hole that hadn’t been dug, and we did find some keepers, then we would have to split the finds 7 ways. Was this sounding more appealing the more I thought about it or what?

There's a reason I live up here in this little town of 200 people, and it isn't because I'm lonely, so.......Against my better judgment I decided to do a little spring cleaning around the house, maybe listen to a ball game while I cleaned the tool shed and let those other 6 disturbed individuals dig holes in some stranger’s yard.

16 comments:

Thre digger, tops, is my limit. Any more and I'm out. Nope, 4+ way splits only cause aggravation and bad feelings, especially among the more recent of diggers. The fever has them by the b--ls, and they will dig a permission that you obtain, whether you are there, or not. These types don't dig with our small group. Usually, it's me and one other digger who's ethic is beyond reproach. I take few bottles home, instead preferring to give the majority to my partner. That's the way it is and ever shall be.

Old cutters contradicts himself by saying that four way splits cause agrevation but that he gives the majority of the bottles to his partner. If he were as generous as he makes himself seem here, he wouldn't care how many ppl he digs with and how thin his cut is.

You know when the hobby's really got you by the b-lls? When u sit around on the computer for hours bragging about the latest pit you dug and making unfounded accusations about the integrity of other diggers...

I don't mind digging with a few people, 3 is ok, 4 even if the mix is good (Friends First)(Bottles Second) anymore I just like getting out and sharing the experience and the thrill of the hunt. As most of you know So-Cal is tight, you have to really hustle. I got into a place the other day on my way home from lunch with a Gal Pal of mine. I drove like a maniac to get home grab a probe, shovel, and maps. I called a few people, but no ones answers their phones. I look on the map, there is nothing there in the 1880's, the maps don't even go that far out. I couldn't find my TC maps,, so I opted to go back and have another look the old fashion way. I realized that the one house on the lot had been moved there, late, the other thrashed buildings had some basements (With Crack Heads in em)Bahhhh, I went home dejected. I drowned my sorrows in a half gallon of mint chocolate chip ice cream and went back to the internet to look at old newspapers ads for any Jake info. Next Time, the Mole won't be denied! I think I must get a hold of my digging buddies up North and do the road trip gig. Now thats a fun time. I hit every antique store I can find all the way up to the foothills. Dig for a few days maybe road trip further North for a few more days and then take the coast roads down hitting every antique store I can find. I am thinking about how I can get myself up to Downieville this year for the show. Never been there before, love that area up in the hills. I think you are a very fortunate man Mi Amigo Senior Reek.

I don't mind digging with a few people, 3 is ok, 4 even if the mix is good (Friends First)(Bottles Second) anymore I just like getting out and sharing the experience and the thrill of the hunt. As most of you know So-Cal is tight, you have to really hustle. I got into a place the other day on my way home from lunch with a Gal Pal of mine. I drove like a maniac to get home grab a probe, shovel, and maps. I called a few people, but no ones answers their phones. I look on the map, there is nothing there in the 1880's, the maps don't even go that far out. I couldn't find my TC maps,, so I opted to go back and have another look the old fashion way. I realized that the one house on the lot had been moved there, late, the other thrashed buildings had some basements (With Crack Heads in em)Bahhhh, I went home dejected. I drowned my sorrows in a half gallon of mint chocolate chip ice cream and went back to the internet to look at old newspapers ads for any Jake info. Next Time, the Mole won't be denied! I think I must get a hold of my digging buddies up North and do the road trip gig. Now thats a fun time. I hit every antique store I can find all the way up to the foothills. Dig for a few days maybe road trip further North for a few more days and then take the coast roads down hitting every antique store I can find. I am thinking about how I can get myself up to Downieville this year for the show. Never been there before, love that area up in the hills. I think you are a very fortunate man Mi Amigo Senior Reek.

I only sit around the computer whining after the dig is over. Showing the reality of digging sparse holes is in no way a problem for me, that's just the way it goes. It would be a boring world, indeed, if we all waited until we dug a pit full of globby flasks to tell about it. When you have been digging for 50 years, and are ready to step out from behind your shield of anonymity, you can criticize those of us whose methodology doesn't agree with you. I wish you every success in your digging endeavors, but you do your thing, and I'll do mine, thank you.

Im sorry Old cutters. I was out of line with my other comment. I want to appogize to you and I promise not to ever back stab you on a permission again. I would like to dig with you again if youll have me back

Damn rookies. You gotta know the secret handshake to get in with the hillbillies !! Oh, and one small caveat.... you must have at least one inbred family member to qualify......Ok, if yer doin your cousin, that can count too !

Sorry, you got us. We're guilty of the terribly unethincal act of............being invited on a dig.

"they will dig a permission that you obtain, whether you are there, or not." ??????

Apparently you know more about my past actions than I do. Please explain the above accusation, I dare you. Your continuous barrage of ENTIRELY groundless accusations over the years can only be explained by intense greed and jealousy. To save face, I suggest you keep your childish delusions to yourself, or at the very least off a public forum.

And you guys wonder why there's a limited number of young people in the 'hobby' ???

Thought a bit before putting in my 2 cents worth...there are sure some passionate opinions. The problems really start when someone's credibility and ethics are questioned. Our reputation is so important, and people who attack it, do so for one of two reasons. 1) they have been burned by someone who was dishonest, and greedy.2) they are jealous for some reason. I do think that 6 or 7 diggers on a postage stamp residential lot has the potential to overstimulate someone, but when my roof was being re done, there was a crew of 10 guys all over the place, and they got the job done a little faster than one lone roofer. I think if you just let the property owners know what to expect, you are fine. This also gives some diggers time to focus on digging, and a few to socialize and answer the multitude of questions from everyone on the block...also someone to make a food run (I do not drink beer on a permission unless offered by the homeowner). Sounds like a fun time to me...until the one "heavy" comes out, and the rest are Bromo's.Hopefully there was an arrangement ahead of time. I had a 60s lot where I have dug 7 holes this Winter...I just keep coming back like Columbo.If I had a few cohorts, we could have been done in short order. Pros and cons each way, and everyone has their opinion. Just please try not to attack someone's ethics. M.E.

Hmmm. AK, it seems that you not of what you speak. Bay diggers aren't the only show on the block, dude. B'lieve me, there are other local yokels that want to learn the game, but not play by the rules. Y'all were most decidedly NOT included nor accused of anything, so cool your jets.

A large "crew" of diggers would tend to get in the way of each other on a 40X80 city lot, dont'ya think, M.E.? I have dug with several friends for years, and on some occasions more that 2 or 3 is welcome, especially in those brushed over gold camps and high country mine sites that we play on. It sometimes takes several probers working in concert to locate a priv. Unlike a well defined city property, mining camps have pits in just about any location. It can be like finding a single needle in a pine tree. You know they are there, yet it can be a mighty frustrating search, indeed.

Now that the snow has left the Transition Zone, I hope to get up to a favorite camp later this week.Good luck to you all, someone has to do better'n me.

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